Staff attire can make or break your company image

By Marni Andrews

A few years ago, Vancouver TV reporter Mike McCardell visited local hotels to look at the footwear of staff. The humorous segment was also an eye opener that showed immaculately attired employees wearing unpolished, worn-out shoes. Linda Hagen of Coast Hotels & Resorts (CH&R) saw the segment and never forgot it. Now as both director of operations for the Coast Plaza Hotel & Suites in Vancouver and acting general manager for CH&R special projects, she makes sure that any uniform decisions to which she is privy include advice on footwear.

The 40-property Coast chain does not have common uniforms, though Hagen notes that uniforms are extremely important to the hotel industry as they allow guests to easily differentiate hotel employees. The uniform at the Coast Sundance Lodge in Sun Peaks, BC, for example, reflects the mountain climate with warm, logoed vests worn over long-sleeved sweaters and slacks. The uniforms for the Coast Plaza Hotel & Suites are much more formal to refl ect the downtown Vancouver location and to meet the expectations of business and leisure guests, says Hagen.

"Ten years ago, uniforms for hotel employees were pretty much off the rack and all the same," says Hagen. "The most recent trend is about combining current fashion with functionality, longevity and hotel-specific image."

When Ivanka Trump takes time out of her busy life as Donald’s business-oriented daughter to design a line of uniforms, the world notices. The heiress debuted her new custom uniform line on January 30 in Chicago for her dad’s new ultra luxury hotel brand, Trump International Hotel & Tower.

Produced in conjunction with Chatsworth, Calif.-based House of Uniforms, the ready-towear line (called the Trump Metro Collection) was designed in charcoal tones and will be worn at all city hotels in the chain. A female concierge or front-office associate would wear a threepiece suit of lightweight wool with pants or a skirt, for example, while her male counterpart would be attired in a European-cut suit in charcoal pinstriped wool with trousers featuring a watch pocket.

According to Cindy Patton, senior director, new products and service development, Embassy Suites Hotels, the 190-property chain found its uniform identity via Donald Trump’s television show "The Apprentice." The uniforms designed for them on "The Apprentice" evolved into three collections (business-oriented Skyline, business casual Estate, relaxed yet professional Veranda) to fit the needs of the different locations in the Embassy Suites brand.

"Smart, stylish uniforms give staff a greater sense of belonging, of team spirit, of being part of the guest experience," explains Bruce Gravel, president, Ontario Accommodation Association. He adds that uniforms are not just for branded chains either. They are at least as important for independent, non-branded properties as they can help a property stand out and be remembered
by guests.

The uniform as a critical professional designation

A uniform is truly critical to a spa’s brand image, says Noel Asmar, founder and CEO of the Noel Asmar brand, which includes Spa Uniforms. He ranks a uniform as second only to the cleanliness and hygiene of the facility itself.

"The uniform is generally the branding component that makes the first impression," he explains. "The trends are now back to the classics and away from casual attire that looked too much like playclothes. Wearing a T-shirt, sweatpants and flip-flops is the equivalent of taking a call on your cellphone while you give the client a treatment."

Asmar’s favourite jacket is the Dolce, fitted with a bit of stretch and featuring a chest silhouette detailed with pintucks that suggest classic menswear.

Executive chef David Garcelon of Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York has spent 15 years with the Fairmont chain. He works in a kitchen of 105 employees. Garcelon is very serious about his uniform of traditional chef ’s whites, the Royal York’s kitchen attire.

"We wear traditional chef jackets with a hotel logo and employee name, and the cooks wear traditional black/white checkered pants, a necktie, hat and apron," he says. "In  my opinion, uniforms are very important to the industry. I don’t like seeing chefs wearing a chef ’s jacket and jeans, or no apron or, especially, no hat. It’s very important that we are seen as a profession and a big part of that is a clean uniform, including hat."

"There’s been a big trend in the last 15 years or so toward non-traditional uniforms, different colours, designer uniforms. I think it’s taken hold more in independent restaurants and more casual places. But in hotels, we tend to stick with a more traditional uniform."

Claude Buzon, chef and owner of Chef ’s Hat Inc., agrees with Garcelon.

"Wearing the uniform correctly and with pride is what separates the professional from the novice. The majority of chefs will agree that a clean-pressed, double-breasted white uniform, a knotted necktie, a full-length apron, checked pants and, of course, the unmistakable toque blanche are essential to the recognized and professional image of the chef."

Since the breakfast chefs with Embassy Suites are often the centre of the breakfast experience, according to Patton, the chain wanted to do something unique for them in terms of uniform.

"We stayed within the parameters of the chef ’s uniform but added our own Embassy Suites flair. We added green buttons to the traditional white chef ’s coats and added a green stripe to the black pants."

Fabric, colour, style

The recent International Trade Show for textiles in Frankfurt, Germany featured ten display halls. Mary Tezak of 4M Trading Co. tried to see it all and failed, but came away with some useful insights about colour and fabric trends.

"Many of the new products are made from organic and eco-friendly materials such as cotton, silk, bamboo, wool, linen and hemp. There’s a growing usage of non-toxic dyes and finishes."

Tezak also noted that colours were very diverse but a few combinations emerged. One seemed to showcase a group of colours drawn from the environment such as apple green, chocolate brown, creams, beiges and whites. Another palette featured different shades of grey combined with black, white and accents of either yellow or red.

Mario De Petrillo, president, Town & Country Uniforms Inc., says that the biggest colour trend right now is neutral shades or anything striped.

"The biggest trend has been to introduce a lot more choice in terms of colour and style," says Annette Murphy, marketing and sales manager for J&M Murphy Ltd./Murphy Gear. In the end, that means that employees are wearing clothing they look good in as well as feel comfortable wearing.

Murphy notes that air wicking properties, stain release technology, improvements to colour fastness and anti-wrinkle treatments are all important elements of the revolution taking place in uniform materials and are the key things that operators are looking for. Murphy recommends that staff have three or four changes of uniform, the more the better, as material of any quality tends to break down faster if it is not rested between wearing.

"The most notable trend in the industry has been the importance placed on fabric technology, whether it is stain resistance, moisture management or stretch, which all correlate to more comfort," says Sondra Baggio, director of design & merchandising, Cintas. "Styling trends include more tailored silhouettes that fit the body and wear similar to retail. Neutrals have been on trend for tailored apparel.

"Across the board, charcoal and brown are the ‘in’ colours," notes Baggio, though Cintas introduced a brown tick weave and a tan sharkskin that she says have been extremely popular. While several new neutrals are making their debut in the coming months, Baggio notes that black is a colour that will not go away, especially for city properties.

The company’s most popular line is the Momentum Collection, a washable suiting line, that Baggio claims will save a property an average of $1,000 annually per employee in dry cleaning expenses. Momentum has breathable under-arm mesh and expandable hook-and-bar closures on the pants for extra comfort.

Jack Robertson, owner, Round Agencies, recommends the use of aprons to minimize soil on uniforms. He has seen a growing use of bistro and half-bistro aprons for wait staff.

Designing uniformly appealing apparel

While waist aprons are important in the kitchen, except for cobbler aprons there is not much use for them in housekeeping.

Baggio recommends spot treatments for hard-to-clean stains as well as the use of a stain-resistant finish.

Employee choice and comfort

The 1,400-property mid-priced Hampton Inn and Hampton Inn & Suites hotel chain recently launched their new employee uniform line called "I Am Hampton Collection." Designed by retailer Lands’ End, the apparel line was tested by more than 1,000 employees, owners and general managers before being introduced. Key to the line is its style.

"We listened to our team members and the message that came through loud and clear is that the typical polyester uniforms prevalent in the hotel industry leave much to be desired," says Phil Cordell, senior vice-president, Hampton brand management.

Cordell says the new line is both stylish and comfortable and offers employees "an innovative element of choice." The two collections are called the Team Hampton Kit (a wardrobe of nine pieces including three pants, fi ve tops and a belt) and the Traditional Kit (nine pieces including a blazer, two pairs of slacks, three tops, two scarves for women or two ties for men and a belt).

At the W Montreal hotel, a self-described young, trendy brand, marketing and communications manager Sabine Kadyss says that employees select their own clothing, depending on taste and season, from a line of Michael Kors-designed uniforms. The line includes T-shirts, blouses, pants, shorts, skirts, dresses, blazers and tank tops for both men and women.

"Each employee selects his or her own clothing, complete with seasonal variety, so that their unique sense of fashion can be expressed," says Kadyss. "For example, a doorman might choose to wear a signature polo while a female concierge sports a crocheted baby-doll blouse, and welcome agents of both sexes choose smart, pinstriped suits."

Glen Blake, president of Howard Johnson Canada Franchise Systems Limited, says the mid-market brand is currently redesigning all uniforms in favour of a more updated look with increased functionality. Front desk staff will wear button-down shirts with ties, while housekeepers will wear attractive but functional "scrubs" style uniforms. To keep costs as low as possible for franchisees while maintaining quality, adjustable pants will be part of the brand standard for housekeepers.

"It is extremely important that uniforms are an extension of your corporate philosophy and culture and reflect the level of your brand standards."

Regional differences

Thanks to broad consumer exposure to The Food Network and mass market publications, regional differences in uniform preferences are smaller than ever. However, there is some differentiation across the country.

Alex Gousse is a Montreal-based style consultant for Cintas. He notes that uniforms for both men and women in Quebec are strongly influenced by the European runways.

"The look is fun, laid back yet sophisticated. It’s intended for a global-minded, multicultural and energetic population," says Gousse.

Baggio of Cintas echoes Gousse’s comments.

"Montreal tends to be far more fashion forward, very European in influence. The west coast look matches the trends in cuisine - more chic and hip. Ties and scarves are becoming less popular with the laid-back west coast vibe," she says. "Ontario is more of a city chic look."

De Petrillo of Town & Country has noticed that urban locations tend to be trendier with uniforms, while rural locations are more classic. Robb Frias, director, franchise support & purchasing for the 85-property Days Inns - Canada chain, feels that guest perception and expectation are primary factors in deciding upon a uniform program.

"It’s important that when a guest walks through the front door, our hotel staff positively contribute to and influence their travel experience," says Frias. "Appearance definitely has an impact upon overall satisfaction and at times can speak louder than words. Today’s savvy travellers expect a service agent to be dressed differently in a city centre or airport hotel as compared to a resort property."

Frias also recommends themed wear when promoting a local event such as the Calgary Stampede.

Roger March, senior vice-president, sales and marketing for A La Carte Hospitality Apparel, does not see any regional differences across Canada.

"Although you’d think that there would be disparity across the country, our sales reflect a universal product mix with variances based upon taste rather than regional diversity."

Chef Works Canada Inc. director of sales Cliff Klein does see different trends and colour preference requests in uniforms across the industry. Denim chef jackets tend to be popular for resorts and golf courses while banquet halls prefer coloured chef jackets for open stations. Button stud chef jackets are popular in Quebec, while Egyptian cotton chef jackets are the preference of executive and sous chefs.

A revenue upside?

Interestingly, a good uniform program could also bring in higher RevPAR. Frias of Days Inns says that research suggests that uniforms help project an image. In turn, consumers feel service is of higher quality when employees are wearing uniforms.

Hagen of Coast Hotels agrees. If employees are not wearing uniforms, a guest would (and should) expect to pay less and receive a different level of service than they would in a hotel whose employees are wearing good quality uniforms, she explains.

Blake of Howard Johnson Canada says that having professional-looking staff can also help to attract more walk-in business, especially if what is projected is a cleaner, more professional atmosphere than is being projected by competitors in the market segment. "This would create an opportunity for increases in RevPAR, which would help to drive up profit margin," he explains.